One Last Breath
by Ace of Hearts
Summary: How does one deal with death, especially when she has so much to live for. One WWE Diva finds that out the hard way...
1. Chapter One

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**Chapter One******

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Jeff Hardy picked up a car magazine, then impatiently slammed it back down onto the glass coffee table after five minutes of half-heartedly leafing through the glossy pages. He groaned as he ran a hand through his longish hair, then shifted over in his seat to get a better view through the halfway opened door of the doctor's office. Specifically, at the petite, curvaceous brunette who was sitting on a rather uncomfortable-looking chair and listening intently to what her doctor had to say. Not that Jeff was purposefully trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, mind you. He already knew--and dreaded--what the doctor was going to say. _Six months at the most,_ Jeff remembered, grudgingly calling up the memory of the doctor's devastating words, as U2's hit single _Beautiful Day_ played melodically on the radio in the background. _Beautiful Day, indeed,_ Jeff thought bitterly to himself, before randomly selecting an issue of _Sports Illustrated_ and reluctantly resuming his wait outside the office. 

Nora Greenwald sat woodenly on the cold, hard-back chair, frozen with shock. In front of her, the sympathetic doctor was saying something, but his words fell upon a pair of deaf ears, as Nora unwittingly tuned out his voice. _Six months at the most._ The news, repeating over and over in her numbed mind, felt like a cruel slap to the face. _Six months at the most...six months at the most...six months at the most...at the most...at the most..._Nora's slim hand came across the diamond engagement ring that so promisingly adorned her finger, and her numbing shock abruptly turned to anger. _How could God do this to me?!_ her mind screamed despairingly. _I have so much to live for! I can't die now! I won't!_   
"Miss Greenwald?" The doctor's concerned words broke sharply through her wall of anger and despair, as he looked worriedly at his patient. "Miss Greenwald? Are you all right?" His words seemed to snap Nora out of her trance, as, cornflower-blue eyes flashing as fiery as the rage she currently felt, she lashed out violently.   
"Bastard! First you tell me that I'm going to die on the day my wedding's supposed to take place, now you ask me if I'm all right?!" Her normally sweet voice had taken on a venomous edge. "Oh, I'm just fine and dandy! Why wouldn't I be?" Her doctor was taken aback by the arsenal of bitingly sarcastic words. He had been expecting anything from anger to despair, but certainly not such dark hatred--which seemed so genuine it was downright frightening--directed at him. He reached forward, trying to console his patient.   
"Miss Greenwald, you have a right to be upset..." And he reached out and tried to take her hand. Nora recoiled violently, as though she had been burned, before winding up and slapping him so hard, a painful red welt would surely adorn his face for the rest of the week.   
"Don't you dare touch me, you lying S.O.B.!" she hissed venomously, angry tears threatening to spill over. Her doctor was taken aback at being struck so violently by such a tiny, delicate creature--the sweetly beautiful Nora Greenwald barely stood at a couple of inches above five feet--and one hand automatically reached up to his injured cheek, gingerly feeling the tender red mark slashed across it.   
"Miss Greenwald--" the doctor started to say, but Nora didn't bother to stay long enough to hear the rest of his sentence as she flew out of his office, leaving him staring in both surprise and concern after her. 

Jeff looked up, startled, as Nora stormed out of the doctor's office, and hurriedly placed down the old sports magazine he had been listlessly perusing. He quickly got out of his seat, intending to console the petite brunette, but one look at her face and all words of comfort flew out of his brain, and Jeff just stood there, looking both awkward and ill at ease.   
"So...I guess you found out about the...um, about the...you know..." he finally stammered intelligently. Nora shot him a disgusted look, before impatiently pushing past him and heading toward the parking lot.   
"Nora..." Jeff hurried to chase after his fiancée. 

Nora emerged from the tall, white hospital building, walking stoically toward her car, her heels clicking hollowly on the concrete. Soon afterwards, Jeff burst out of the hospital, sprinting to catch up to the petite brunette.   
"Nora, come on!" he called out, but Nora pointedly ignored him and instead increased her speed, jogging over to her silver Volvo and getting into the driver's seat. She slammed the door shut just as Jeff approached the car, and twisted the key in the ignition. Jeff wasn't ready to quit, though, as he hurriedly circled over to the driver's side and tapped urgently on the tinted window.   
"Come on, Nora, open up!" he pleaded, his voice coming across as a muffled squeak through the dark glass. Nora ignored her fiancé's attempts at an explanation as to why he had been withholding the particular news from her, and instead steadily backed out of her parking space. Jeff finally gave up, and leaned back, watching in concern as Nora pulled out of the parking lot at a dangerously high speed, tires screeching as they ground against the cement. 


	2. Chapter Two

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**Chapter Two**

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**One Week Later…**

"Hi, Terri," Nora spoke up lifelessly as she trudged into the women's locker room, taking off her coat and throwing it across the back of an unoccupied chair.   
"Hi, Nora." Terri's voice was soft with sympathy, and Nora didn't have to guess twice to know that word had already been leaked about her incoming demise. Terri's eyes were filled with sad concern, as she opened her mouth, about to say something, and then seemed to change her mind.   
"I, um, took othe liberty of checking your messages for you," the tiny blonde spoke instead, motioning to her cell phone, and Nora tried to appear disinterested.   
"Oh, really?" Her voice was flat, listless, unfeeling. Terri, meanwhile, chose to ignore this, and nodded.   
'That's right. Six messages. One is from your mother, one is from Mr. McMahon...and four are from Jeff Hardy."   
"Oh, really?" Nora's voice barely fluctuated, as the petite brunette somehow managed to keep her voice surprisingly neutral. Terri sensed that something was wrong, and ventured timidly, "Aren't you going to call him back?"   
"No," her fellow diva replied flatly. Terri looked surprised by her answer.   
"Oh." An awkward pause stretched between the two women, before Terri offered, "You know, if you want to discuss your problems with someone, I...I can..."   
"I'd rather not talk about it," Nora murmured tiredly, rubbing her eyes.   
"All right," Terri said in a tiny voice. "But if you ever need anything at all--"   
"I said I didn't want to talk about it!" Nora snapped irritably, her voice rising shrilly as she jumped up from where she had taken a seat. Terri blinked, both taken aback and intimidated by her sudden outburst, and could only watch as Nora picked up her coat and stalked out of her office, slamming the door shut behind her and completely forgetting that she had match against Trish for later on that night. 

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The first thing Nora saw as she walked down the dimly lit, maroon-carpeted hallway toward her hotel room was Jeff Hardy, looking as wild and dashing as ever as he patiently waited outside her door, decked out in a pair of black cargo pants and a long-sleeved white shirt. Despite the fact that she was supposed to be mad at him, Nora couldn't help but smile at the sight of her fiancé. The daring high-flyer and resident WWE heartthrob still looked like he'd barely graduated from college, with his past-shoulder-length hair casually pulled back with a rubber band and tucked under a purple baseball cap. On that particular day, his hair was dyed a colorful blue and green, and Nora recalled with amusement that even she herself had trouble remembering what his true hair color was. She vaguely remembered it as being somewhere along the lines of blonde. Jeff seemed to sense that someone was approaching, and quickly leapt up when he saw his fiancée, absently tugging down the headphones from his ears.   
"Hey," he murmured tentatively. Nora didn't bother to reply, only gave him a wary look as she reached to unlock her front door.   
"Nora, come on..." Jeff's voice trailed off, as he swiftly followed her inside, pushing the door wide open before she had a chance to slam it shut. "Nora, you can't avoid me forever."   
"No, but I can for six months, and then you'll never have to see me again," Nora replied icily. Jeff leaned back, as if she had just dealt him a physical blow, and Nora felt a twinge of guilt at seeing the genuine hurt on his face.   
"You don't seriously mean that," Jeff murmured softly. Nora turned around, a tired expression on her face, and for the first time Jeff noticed that her carefully applied makeup was designed to cover her hollow eyes and lifeless features.   
"Look, Jeff, there's really no need for you to be here," she said quietly. "I mean, what could you possibly do for me? Find a miracle cure? So far, there haven't exactly been many successful transitions from pro wrestler to medical doctor."   
Jeff reached forward to grab her wrist.   
"Nora, listen to yourself. You're giving up on yourself without even--" he started to say. Nora abruptly pulled her hand away from his.   
"When will you get it through your thick head that you're engaged to a dead woman?!" she yelled emotionally, angry tears starting to form on the corners of her eyes before she quickly blinked them away. "Damn it, Jeff, just go away and leave me alone for a change! Go play tonsil hockey with one--or all--of your groupies or something, Mr. 'NSYNC of the WWE!"   
Jeff's expression turned cold.   
"Fine, then," he said stiffly, icily. "If that's the way you feel about life, then feel free to waste away. Might I suggest drinking four cups of 'shroom juice and passing out at four in the morning?"   
Nora's eyebrows nearly flew off her hairline upon hearing his words, as she instinctively drew back, startled that he knew.   
"How...how did you find out about that?" she stammered in a tiny voice.   
"Terri told me about it," came the prompt response. "She thought I might be able to talk some sense into you, but by now it's pretty obvious that you're just trying to speed up your death."   
Nora's eyes narrowed, as she shrieked furiously, "Get out of here!"   
"You don't have to tell me twice," Jeff spat out contemptuously, storming out the door and slamming it firmly shut. Nora glared at the spot her fiancé had occupied, before letting out a frustrated growl and flinging the nearest object--a delicate antique vase--at the door, watching as china smashed against rosewood and shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Shattered. Just like her life. 


	3. Chapter Three

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**Chapter Three**

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It was midnight--barely fifteen minutes after her argument with Jeff--that Nora pulled up in front of a flashy nightclub and got out of her car. She glanced around at the swirling neon lights, pushed all thoughts of her fiancé out of her mind, and boldly strode inside. She was promptly assaulted by the deafening roar of loud rock & roll as soon as she entered, and had to resist an urge to cover her ears with her hands and turn around and flee. The diamond ring still sat on her finger--despite her illness, Jeff wouldn't even think of calling off their engagement. Jeff. Nora's heart sank, as she remembered her childish behavior, which had subsequently led to their argument. And, probably, it would also lead to their break up, as well, Nora thought in despair, as she stood away from the dance floor and indulged in her misery and guilt. 

Axl Locklear downed another shot of whiskey, wallowing in self-pity after his girlfriend had just dumped him and walked out of the nightclub, draped all over some Italian guy. Axl looked up blearily from his shot glass, scanning the crowded nightclub with dark green eyes, and caught sight of a curvy brunette standing uncertainly amidst the mob of dancing couples. Her size and rather innocent appearance made her seem almost child-like, and for some reason--perhaps it was all the alcohol he'd consumed in the last hour and a half-- Axl, after just getting dumped, felt courageous enough to approach her. He stumbled off his stool and wove through the sea of people, finally reaching the petite, chestnut-haired young woman.   
"Hey, there," he greeted. "My name's Axl. Care to dance?" 

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It was one-thirty in the morning, a time at which Nora couldn't conceive doing anything but sleeping. But then again, it wasn't often when she drank four cups of mushroom juice to the point of passing out, either, so why not keep on partying at the nightclub. It appeared as if with each passing hour, the number of patrons at the nightclub increased by another dozen, and on the dance floor, Nora kept on being pushed against Axl's body by the other couples...not that, in her current state of mind, bothered her at all. Finally, at fifteen to two, she pulled her companion away from the dance floor and breathed sexily into his ear, "Mmm, let's go to your place." After two hours of trying acid, mushroom, ecstasy, hallucinogens, and God only knew how many other substances that she couldn't even identify, it appeared as if Nora had finally succeeded in killing off all her brain cells. Axl blinked dazedly, as the tiny brunette in front of him transformed in an instant from child to seductress. He opened his mouth to stammer out a reply, when his eyes caught sight of the diamond engagement ring that glinted on her finger, and he closed his mouth uncertainly. Nora saw his reluctant expression, and somehow through the haze in her mind figured out what he was hesitating about.   
"Don't worry," she whispered silkily in his ear, and then giggled, almost in the fashion of a schoolgirl's, adding, "He won't mind."   
Axl was still hesitant, not wanting to get involved with an engaged woman, but then he glanced at the beatiful--and very stoned--brunette draped all over him, and his machismo--not to mention all the liquor in his blood--took over. _What the hell,_ he thought to himself, as he grabbed Nora's hand and propelled her out of the nightclub and toward his red Mazda Miata. 

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A finally sober Nora stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling above her, and fought a fresh wave of tears that threatened to spill over. She pulled the cream-colored sheets tighter over her breasts, and worked up the courage to glance at the sleeping man beside her. Nora didn't remember his name--she couldn't, no matter how hard she tried--and that scared her. She barely even remembered what had happened earlier that night. All that she did know was that she had tried an array of drugs, and then gone and slept with someone while still engaged to Jeff. Jeff. His name filled her with a deep shame and sorrow, and she fought to keep from crying. To distract her mind from her fiancé, Nora glanced at the bedside clock. Three-forty-five in the morning. She got up and out of bed, slowly, almost as if in a daze, and began to dress. Her eyes rested on the diamond engagement ring, which she had taken off before hopping into bed with a complete and total stranger. Nora felt too ashamed to put it back on her finger, and instead gently placed it in the pocket of her dark blue jeans. Her ring safely in her possession, Nora picked up her black leather jacket, and promptly fled from the apartment, too ashamed and scared to stay in it any longer. 

Once safely in her silver Volvo, Nora quickly turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the curb. The radio speakers promptly started blasting Bon Jovi, but Nora was too upset to turn it off. Tears were threatening to spill over, and she bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying until she drew blood. _What have I done?_ she thought miserably to herself, horrified at the late night and early morning events. _How could I have done this to my body? How could I have done this to Jeff?_ The thought of her fiancé sent a fresh jolt of shame and despair through her body. _Jeff doesn't deserve this,_ Nora said silently to herself. The diamond ring pressed against her leg, as she thought, _I'm just holding him back by continuing to live and continuing to be engaged to him._ Indulging in remorse and self-pity, Nora continued to criticize herself. _When I die--what did I give to anyone? I'm just blaming everyone else for my problems, and lashing out at Jeff and keeping him from meeting other women. There's so many women out there who would make much better wives to Jeff than I could possibly hope to._

By that time, Nora was driving erratically and making a beeline straight for a quarry. Fighting back tears, she came to a solemn decision: that she was doing nothing but holding Jeff--and all her other loved ones--back by continuing to live and continuing to haunt them with her imminent death. So, she came to the sober decision that the best thing would be to end it all. She would have to die, sooner or later. She might as well make it sooner, so that those she held dear wouldn't have to agonize over her eventual death. She struggled to keep from crying, as she sped up, and her silver Volvo shot forward, heading at a dizzying speed toward the quarry. Just then, as _Bed Of Roses_ came to an end, the radio DJ began to speak.   
"We have here a fresh new pick, off of the latest album by a group multi-platinum Florida rockers I believe you all know quite well," he announced grandly. "Now, in case you haven't heard yet, this song was recently announced to be their latest single, and I believe that our listeners will greatly enjoy this."   
A soft, mournful guitar solo opened up the song, before a gravelly male voice began to sing. 

_Please come now I think I'm falling_   
_I'm holding on to all I think is safe_   
_It seems I found the road to nowhere_   
_And I'm trying to escape___

_I yelled back when I heard thunder_   
_But I'm down to one last breath_   
_And with it let me say_   
_Let me say___

_Hold me now_   
_I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking_   
_Maybe six feet_   
_Ain't so far down___

_I'm looking down now that it's over_   
_Reflecting on all of my mistakes_   
_I thought I'd found the road to somewhere_   
_Somewhere in His grace___

_I cried out Heaven save me_   
_But I'm down to one last breath_   
_And with it let me say_   
_Let me say___

_Hold me now_   
_I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking_   
_Maybe six feet_   
_Ain't so far down___

_Sad eyes follow me_   
_But I still believe there's something left for me_   
_So please come stay with me_   
_'Cause I still believe there's something left for you and me_   
_For you and me_   
_For you and me___

_Please come now_   
_I think I'm falling_   
_I'm holding on to all I think is safe..._

By then, Nora was so touched by the song from the mystery rockers, that she stopped holding back her tears and let them fall freely. She stopped her car by the edge of the road, a mere few yards away from the quarry, and started crying hard, desperate to let out all the emotions bottled up inside of her. As she glanced up, Nora noticed the nearby lights of a gas station, and fumbled to unlock her door, stumbling out of her car and over to the well-lit station. Blinking in the sudden white light, Nora scrambled over to the nearest pay phone and dialed in the station, just as the song finished playing and the technicians went to a commercial break.   
"Hello?" the DJ's voice came out through the end of the telephone receiver, sounding quite bored.   
"I...I would like to know which group did that...that last song that your played," Nora stammered out through her tears.   
"Oh, you mean _One Last Breath?"_ the DJ perked up. "That was taken straight off from the album _Weathered,_ and the multi-platinum Florida rockers that made that LP would be Creed."   
"Creed," Nora repeated the name, as a smile began to peek through her tears.   
"Ma'am?" the DJ finally seemed to pick up on the fact that his caller had been crying, and became concerned. "Ma'am, are you all right?"   
For the first time in several weeks, Nora felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from her chest.   
"Yes," she murmured softly. "Yes. I'm all right."   
"Well...would you like me to play some more songs by Creed?" the DJ asked uncertainly. Nora gave a genuine smile, even though she knew he couldn't see her.   
"Please," she replied gratefully.   
"In that case, I suggest you go to the nearest radio, ma'am," the DJ said cheerfully, and hung up. Nora returned to her car and got in, cranking up the radio volume as the commercials ended and the DJ's now familiar voice came back on.   
"This request was made just a few minutes ago by a very special lady," he started to say. "Now, it's not quite an oldie yet, seeing as how it's from a 1997 album release, but it's most definitely a goodie. Here's the hit title track of the _My Own Prison_ album, by Creed!" 

* * *

Jeff Hardy rolled over in bed, having been jarred from his sleep by the annoyingly insistent ringing of the telephone, before reluctantly reaching over with one hand and fumbling across his nightstand, nearly knocking the receiver off the hook before managing to pick it up.   
"H'lo?" he mumbled groggily, still half-asleep.   
"Jeff?" a familiar voice spoke up. Jeff suddenly sat up straighter, switching on the bedside lamp and speaking into the receiver, "Nora?"   
"Hi, Jeffie," Nora greeted sweetly, being the only one who could get away with calling the dashing daredevil by his baby name. Jeff grimaced, a blush beginning to stain his cheeks, and to get his mind off of it, he glanced over at the bedside clock.   
"Jesus Christ, Nora, what the hell are you doing calling me at four o' clock in the morning?" he hollered into the mouthpiece.   
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier today," Nora said quietly, and Jeff became serious again.   
"Oh?" His voice was carefully guarded, but it didn't sway Nora from what she wanted to say.   
"Yes," she said firmly. "After finding out about my illness, I've been doing nothing but lashing out at others and blaming everyone but myself for this. I now realize that I've created my own prison."   
"Huh?" Jeff, despite being the lyricist for his band, was unable to decipher her metaphor.   
"I've created my own prison," Nora repeated patiently. "Jeff, I know that I'm dying. And although I'm gradually learning to accept this, I find myself still wanting someone to hold me and tell me that everything will be all right."   
"Oh, Nora," Jeff murmured softly. "You know I'll always be there for you."   
Over at the gas station, Nora glanced down at her engagement ring, which she'd put back on after listening to Creed. The diamond adorning the gold band glittered and shone under the artificial lights, as out loud she said, "I always believed that there was still something left for you and me." 


	4. Chapter Four

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**Chapter Four**

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The hundreds of people gathered at the funeral chapel watched silently as Jeff Hardy walked up to the podium. For the first time in several years, he'd washed out all the blue and green and purple dye, and it was here that people got a rare glimpse of his true hair color, which happened to be a soft bronze with sun gold highlights. Jeff cleared his throat, and glanced across the sea of black-clad mourners, then looked down at his carefully prepared speech, and decided to throw it--though not literally--out the window. He cleared his throat again, and began to speak in a quiet, respectful voice. 

"Cancer may have taken Nora Greenwald's life, but it will never rob her of her sparkle," he began, somehow keeping his composure and holding back the flood of tears. "And although she is no longer with us, we must all take some time away from our grieving and remember that right now she's in a better place. To remind us of that, I shall now play a song by a group that Nora held very close in her heart." And he stepped aside and pressed the switch. 

_When dreaming I'm guided to another world_   
_Time and time again___

_At sunrise I fight to stay asleep_   
_'Cause I don't want to leave the comfort of this place___

_'Cause there's a hunger, a longing to escape_   
_From the life I live when I'm awake___

_So let's go there_   
_Let's make our escape_   
_Come on, let's go there_   
_Let's ask can we stay?___

_Can you take me higher?_   
_To the place where blind men see?_   
_Can you take me higher?_   
_To the place with golden streets___

_Although I would like our world to change_   
_It helps me to appreciate_   
_Those nights and those dreams_   
_But, my friend, I'd sacrifice all those nights_   
_If I could make the Earth and my dreams the same_   
_The only difference is_   
_To let love replace all our hate___

_So let's go there_   
_Let's make our escape_   
_Come on, let's go there_   
_Let's ask can we stay?___

_Can you take me higher?_   
_To the place where blind men see?_   
_Can you take me higher?_   
_To the place with golden streets___

_So let's go there_   
_Let's go there_   
_Come on, let's go there_   
_Let's ask can we stay?___

_Up high I feel like I'm alive for the very first time_   
_Said up high I'm strong enough to take these dreams_   
_And make them mine___

_Can you take me higher?_   
_To the place where blind men see?_   
_Can you take me higher?_   
_To the place with golden streets_


End file.
